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COMMERCIAL ,
The North-West Post Office,
Friday ouemng.
Delivcnos during tho prosont week liavo
been fairly heavy, 1200 tons of goneral
produco having been forwarded by roil,
which is the heaviest doliyery for any
week during.tbo month. The bulk of the
business in potatoes has been for the
South and West Australian and Victorian
markets. Tho Svdnov market, probably
on account of tbo recent light deliveries,
has Bhown a tendoney to improve, and,
ns the shipments of the Easby and Tokapo
are both fairly small, prices should, to
say the least, bo well maintained. The
Tekapo took 963 bags of potatoos from
tliis port, 900 from Stanley, and 260 from
Burnie, her total thus being 2123 bags,
while the Easby will take somo 940 bugs
from this port, 459 from Stanley, and 961
from Burnie, thus giving her a total of
about 2360 bags, or, ruundlv, 4360 bags
by the two Sydney boats. The Australia
took 2426 bags to Melbourne, the total
oxpoxtof potatoes for tho week thus
T7 H Q Pa ininn.1
putting their largest coastal steamer, tho
s.h. Wareatea, cm to cope with tho Mel
bourno trade. Sho is due here on Sunday,
And is oxpeotcd to leAve on Monday
night. Messrs Darling & Sons
also intend despatching a boat to trade
betweon tho North-Wost Coast nnd Mel
bourne, their steamer lieing expected to
arrive about the middle uf tho week.
Deliveries by rood have, particularly
' during to-day, been heavy. Yesterday
the market opened at £5 12s 6d, at which
figure it coutmued during tho day. This
morning £5 12s Gd was also given, but
shortly after operations commenced thero
Wis a full to £5 10s; however, as mer
chants were anxioua to fill their orders,
tho price soon rose to £5 12s Gd, and by
noon £6 15s was offering, at which figure
market remained unchanged for the
remainder of the day. Chaffis vary quiet,
and but littlo is bought for export, pur
chases being almost entirely for shipment
to the West Coast, nnd £2 10s 1ms boon
given for small linos of first-class quality.
Ono Intyor is offering 3s 5d for really prime
samples of wheat, which wo understand is
for foreign sliipmont. A trial shipment
is to bo mado oarly next month, but tho
port of destination has not boon disclosod.
Second-grade samples nro quoted at 3s
! 3d to 3s 4d. Oats aro fairly frco of
: delivery at Is iOd to Is ltd for feed. Mil-
; ling are scnrco nt Is 1 lid. It was reported
tliat thero was a dedino on tho Sydney
market, but a local merchant states that his
instruotions aro contradictory to that
statement. Peas nro quiet, 2s 8d bcitig
given for machine-threshed, aiul 2s 0J
for hand-worked. Bluo nro worth
from 3s Od to 4s for really clean samples.
Grass-soed, with the exception of Eng
lish rye, is not offering frocly. Tho local
quotations aro English ryo, 3s to 4s ;
Italian, 4s to 5s ; cooksfoot, 6s to 7s. As
thoru is a good deal of grass-soed in tlio
district, farmors nro ovidontly holding
for an advanco in price. Turnips nro
receiving vory little nttontion, tho quota
tion of £1 per ton boing nominal, btraw
is offering nt 29s f.o.'b. Dovonport.
Good farmers' butter continues scarce at
Is Id. The scarcity of tho commodity
locally is causing inoro attention to bo
turned to tlio outside producers, and
ordors aro being sent to Now Zealand as
well as to Victoria. Now Zealand aud
Victorian factory is worth froni Is to -Is
Dd, according to quality. Eggs nro
scarco at Is Id. Enquiries aro boing
mado for bncon, for which, hams in, 7d
to 74d is offered. Thoro is a fair supply
of choeso, at 7d to 7-Ad.
Business in potatoes was fairly brisk at
Lntrobo to-day (writes our correspondent),
70 tons changing hands at £5 12s Cd,
which was tho local price for tho tuber
during tho day. Btibinoss was confined
to potatoes, no othor lino boing touched.
At Ulvorstono this wook (writes our
correspondent) tho railway officials have
had a particularly lively timo. On Titos-
day deliveries wore very largo, and yes
torday more produco was delivered than
on any previous day this year. Yostorday's
deliveries totalled about 1800 bags of po-
tatoos, bosides other produco. In conse
quence of this, nil tlio trucks nvnilnblo
wero filled, nnd a great quantity was
stacked. To-day deliveries aro not quite
so largo, though it can bo safely estimated
that total arrivals of potatoes and grain
will bo close on COO tons for tho wook,
and, although tho goods train this even
ing will take nil tho loaded trucks,
thoro will still bo a considorablo
quantity stacked for next wook.
Pricos for tho tuber ruled to £5 15s yes
terday, but to-day not more than £5 10b
was on offer. Oats are coming in freely
at up to Is IOd for short and Is lid for
long. Wheat has sold nb 3s 2d to 3s 4d,
with ono lot of saed at 4s. Dairy produce
continues firm at recent quotations-
Butter to Is ; eggs to IOd bacon, 7d ;
cheese to GAd. Hay chaff is somowlmt-
dull of salo ift £2 10s, buyers finding bags,
in wholesale lots, and is retailed at 3s to
3s fid por cwt.
Potatoes aro quoted at from £5 5s to
£5 10a (writes our Penguin correspond-
ent). Farmers are afraid of getting too
much out, for foar of running snort of seed
for noxt year. Wheat is worth from 3s
3d to 3s 4d. Oats, Is 8d to Is 9d, accord
ing lo sample.
During tlio wook (writes our Laun
ceston correspondent) business has not
bean very brisk. The city stores nro
nearly nil filled with wheat, and some
milters hnvo enough in hnnd to last them
during tho greater part of the season.
Consequently," lower prices- nre ruling, and
3s Gd is thu highest quotatiou obtainable
in tho city. There is very little demand
for onta, but Cape barley has fair business
nt 4s to 4s 3d, and much moro is coming
forward than was expected. Oats, chaff,
and potutooH remain unchanged, though
tho latter nro rather scarce, and some nro
badly effected with grub. Dairy produce
is very scnrco, nnd Ioiclo butter has ad-
vnnced to Is Gd, but other brands aro un
altered. Tho price in Victoria has gone
up lAd since Wednesday, owing to sup-
E lies 'having fallen off, and Sydney has
eon applied to for consignments. A largo
quantity has boon received at Hobart from
Now Zealand, and from tbo 18th rill to
day 831 boxes have been imported at
Hobart and Launceston from Now Zea
land, Victoria, and Now South Wales.
Eggs nro again scnrco, and havo gono up
to is 3d.
Tho manager of tlio North-Western
Farmers' Association reports Potatoes :
JJeliveries havo hcon on a modern! o scale,
nndpwitnriio-ncttv«neiiif»iio-tvwi.-M..a-
South Australia, and, to a lessor extent,
Melbourne, Queensland, and Now South
Wales, the market has readily absorbed
all arrivals, and wo look forward to a
satisfactory rate ruling for some wooks,
or, nb least, until Now Zealaiids arrive in
largo quantities, which may lmvo tho
effect of at least temporarily affecting
values. Then, again, there a ill probably
be a few Victorians available for export
from the lute districts. We nro advised
from Mount Gambior, South . Australia,
that tho crop thero . ia tho poorest for
years. Oats : Tho markob for feed and
milling sorts has been very uotive nt
slightly lower rates, and tho large quanti
ties arriving are working off nt a satisfac
tory rate. Tartarian oats : The demand
for export has fallon off, owing to the
absence of rain, ,but will .probably spring
up again shortly. Wo nro plaoing- some
nico lines of choice soed locally. Algerian
oats. : We havo some largo parcels, which,
however,' 'aro working off at a satisfactory
rnto for, seed. Thoy nro especially
valuablo for early feed and hay ; m fact,
if sown early, can bo fed off until ond of
August, and then cut for hay early in
December. Chaff: Deliveries have been
Iipavv. nnd dnmiind In roHtrlfitad In con.
sumption within tho Colony. We can see
no prospect of an export trade nt satis
factory 1 rates- for somo rime. . Pens :
Moderate quantities only coming forward.
Values aro. lowor, nnd not likely to im-
irove. Wheat: Locally there' is very
ittle doing. Wo aro still open for further
business tor export, for which purpose
wheat must bo.of the best quality. If a
sufficient quantity is sent foreign; pros
pects; locally . will be muoh improved.
Grass-seeds : Italian in gre&t'request; but
none now coming forward. English sell
ing freely. We havo a splendid range.
Cocksfoot iu moderate supply. Clovers,
whito, rod, alsyke, and cow gross selling
freely. Capo barley, rye, and tares sell
ing rather slowly. Poultry of all de
scriptions in good demand. Fruit:
Markob fully supplied. Eggs : In good
demand. Butter: Local supplies very
short. Regular importations now neoes-
sary. Turnips rather better, but demand
is small. We havo sold Potatoos, £5
15s to £6. Oats, Is lid to 2s Gd. Chaff,
55s. 60s. Wheat. 3s 5d. J rev neas. 2s
9d, 2s IOd. English gross, 3s to 4s ;
cooksfoot, 7s to 8s. Fowls, 2s 6d, 2s 9d.
Ducks, 2s 9d, 3s 3d. Butter, lid to Is
2d. Eggs, lid. Apples, 3s Od to 4s 6d.
Messrs W. Luok «fc Co., of tlio North-
Western Roller Mills, report Wheat
has been coming in vory freely during
tho nast wook, some small lota being
bought at 3s, and from tho quantity
coming in and the goneral outlook, thero
is every indication of a fall in prioo.
Onts are also plentiful at Is IOd to 2s, tho
mill being at present nearly full. Linseed
is wanted at 2d per lb. In flour, business
is brisk, and it has been decided to reduce
tho price to '18s per bug cash, £9 to £9
10rt being the price por ton. Bran and
sharps aro in great demand, n rise of price !
in each having taken place. Bran is
quoted at IOd to lid, and sharps at Is to
1 Is 2d. The new oatmeal mill will, it is
expected, bo in full operation noXt wook.
Orders aro coming in vory frooly, but
cannot bo supplied nb prosont. Oatmeal
is worth 14s por owt, and rolled oats 15s,
$